Need advice on how to deal with my ongoing issue with Dell

Hi there,

First off, I'm not usually one to kick up a fuss about something and empathise with customer service departments but sometimes enough is enough I find myself writing this.

Basically I have a Dell Studio 1558 with the following spec (P.S Google Stuido 1558 issues and you'll see a vast array of issues):

Graphics : 1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470
misc
4096MB (2x2048) 1333MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
Hard Drive : 500GB Serial ATA (7200RPM)
Optical Drive : 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Roxio Burn software
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit)
Intel i7-720QM(1.6GHz)
Display : 15.6in High Definition (1366X768) WLED

Literally since day 1 I had overheating issues with the laptop shutting down. Rather foolishly on my part I admit I was lazy and didn't report it right away. I bought the laptop last December and reported the issue in June when it got past unbearable (oops). Anyway received fairly good CS and the engineer came out and replaced the motherboard and heatsink which seemed to solve the issue.

Until September where I started to experience random shut downs, sometimes I'd get a blue screen where it wouldn't even give me chance to read the message, sometimes blue screens where I'd get dumping of physical cache and then sometimes it just would completely go blank. I quickly reported by email the issue to Dell to resolve it this time. To note the laptop wasn't seemingly hot.

The person I was dealing with seemed to want me to do every kind of diagnostics under the sun. Now, to note I work full time and run a photography business in my spare time so time is limited and attended to their requests ASAP. What really hacked me off though was the fact once I was asked to run a diagnostics and once I had done this the response was "now please run extended and attend to the computer while it runs noting the part where it may shut down". I'm sorry but why didn't they just suggest extended in the first place? To actually sit down and watch a laptop for 3 hours while it runs tests also is time I can ill afford.

She also suggested that I try replacing the HDD and RAM myself to see if that solves the issue.

Quite frankly by this point after over a month of trying to solve the issue I was fed up. I run the tests as she asked and it froze on the HDD testing section but said "I am not a business like you seem to think I am with an abundance of spare hardware lying around n'or the time to run anymore tests. The extended test froze while on the HDD. Can you please advise?". Also to note my battery had now also failed with Windows saying it needed replacing.

I thought this was fair as with a next business day warranty it was frustrating that so far it'd have taken over a month to get to this stage. She replied to me asking me to arrange a date for collection on Tuesday 1st November. I replied by 10:30am the same day asking for it to be collected the next day. Weds 2nd November. That night I proceeded to spend all night backing up my Laptop rather than better spending my time updating my website with some recent images that I could potentially be selling. I got it packaged it up and took it into work with me ready for collection.

I got an email on Wednesday informing me "Sorry but you did not send your request for next day collection in time. Please send it before 12pm and can you please arrange another day for collection".

I was riled, I had sent it before 12pm but I bit my lip just replied asking for collection Friday 4th from home and subsequently I arranged for my mum to stay in all day for it to be collected. I also asked for her manager to call me rather than me taking it out on her knowing i'd get no where.I also asked for confirmation of collection.

By Friday I had not hear anything and at 1pm I rang Dell asking if they could confirm whether or not they had arranged collection as I had received no communication. Their response was "Sorry sir our systems our down, can we please call you back Monday to confirm". My response was "Do you not think by Monday I'll know if you've collected my laptop today or not?". The response "OK can we ring you back between 6 and 8pm?" Me: "Again do you not think I'll know the answer by then?". Final response was "OK sir how about between 5-7pm?". I said "Well seeming as your collection times are between 9am and 5:30pm I'm pretty sure I'll know but sure you ring me and i'll let you know if you have or haven't collected it and while your at it i'll speak to a manager."

I found that last experience worrying and downright poor. Anyway around 30 minutes after that call I got an email from the original tech who said she hadn't arranged collection and could I re-arrange. I replied "Yes you can get your manager to ring me.". I obviously let my mum know they wouldn't be turning up but most of her day was wasted. Later that evening sure enough to my surprise I got a phone call and I explained that I got an email saying it hadn't been collected. It was the same guy from earlier but credit to him he could see I was frustrated and wanted to help. Unfortunately I was not anywhere near home but I ran through the issues I had with the laptop and he said he couldn't see why the other representative arranged collection when I have an on site warranty and from my diagnosis it would seem the hard drive needed replacing and that he'd also send a new battery. I thanked him but said I'd still wish to speak to a manager regarding prior poor service, he said he'd let me speak to him monday which was when he'd ring me up to confirm a few things when I had access to the laptop.

They did ring me back Monday and we arranged the repair etc and he had me micro analysing everything and he concluded I also needed new rubber feet, rubber bumpers on monitor, new keyboard bezel and new power adapter. He then put me through to his manager. I explained what had happened to the manager who said to me he could not help as he was only a technical manager and in truth did not seem bothered. He told me to submit a complaint via the unresolved issues on the website. I placed a complaint outlining the history straight away,

The Dell engineer turned up to my grandmas on the Thurs (I unfortunately could not attend) and he had to ring me up to ask what was wrong the laptop as Dell hadn't put much in the service notes but actually send a laptop's worth of spares as he put it to him. I explained and he replaced the items except the rubber feet/bumpers.

So now I have a "repaired" laptop but am yet to receive a response to my complaint. I resent the form after the engineer had been out simply stating I had not received a response and still nothing. I read this is common practice for Dell.

So now the warranty is up in mid-December and I want to make sure the product is tip-top. So I got Dirt3 and while I admit I barely play games on the laptop I think something of it's spec should be able to handle it without issue. Basically it runs very poorly. It runs at no more than 5fps with the graphics on auto setting as well the menu systems being slow and unresponsive. Bright areas like the sun are purple and show artefacts.

I also run furmark and averaged 3fps, the GPU got to about 90deg celcius.

I then proceeded to run prime95 with HWMonitor running at the same time. The laptop processor got to about 95 degrees celcius and then the laptop would shut down.

I run Passmark's burn in test and the system just froze.

I've also had one BSOD as well while casually browsing the net.

I've run Dell's diagnostics which is throwing up no errors.

Now it may seem i'm nitpicking trying to find fault here but in my view the system should be able to handle all of them tests fine without any freezing/shut downs.

All I want is a perfect working system that I can feel confident will last past its warranty period which I don't think this will.

Anyway the tech guy is going to ring me tomorrow to see how it's coping and would like advice how to respond. What I've been told is to play dumb with them and say i'm still experiencing issues but diagnostics isn't saying anything. To which point they'll then send a replacement laptop.

Anyone got any advice on this? To be honest I think after all the poor CS and no response to my complaint and as compensation for two failed collections they could send me a replacement out to give me confidence in the product.

My other question is the no longer do the Studo line so do I ask for an XPS of similar spec as to not lose out? I don't want an inspiron with a lower build quality.

All help is appreciated and thanks for reading through the essay!